


Thunderstorms

by haikyuuson



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Erwin - Freeform, Levi - Freeform, M/M, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Please be gentle, eruri - Freeform, snk, thunderstorm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:45:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7241827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikyuuson/pseuds/haikyuuson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing up in an underground city can prove challenging in adult life above ground. There are some things that need getting used to. Thunderstorms are one of those things.<br/>If only there were a tall, handsome, blonde man to help. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thunder

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fic EVER so please me gentle with me.  
> I am still trying to get the hang of this stuff. We'll see how it goes! Because of recent developments with the manga, these men have been on my mind quite a bit. (EVERYONE IS ALIVE IN HAPPY IN THIS WORLD... well for the time being anyways.)
> 
> I apologize for grammar and spelling mistakes. My punctuation is the worst. Please forgive me.
> 
>  
> 
> I am never leaving Eruri hell. I like it here. <3

The makeshift camp did not meet the standards normally set in the Scouting Regiment. However, due to a decrease in funding, they had to make do with what was available.  
  
Old barracks miles away from civilization. This was their home for the next three months. Due to the ancient age of the buildings, only a select few were deemed safe and cleared for use. A handful of higher ranked soldiers were stationed inside multiple small, one-roomed shacks that mirrored the barracks on the opposite end of a large overgrown field.  
  
Regulation would normally demand that the commander be given his own space in order to complete necessary work, insure safety, and conduct private meetings. With the current shortage of boarding however, Erwin insisted that this previous requirement be overlooked.  
  
Many of the other commanders in the army, both past and present, have milked their title to its worth, especially when it came to personal comforts. This was not Erwin. He was modest, focused, and always put the current goal ahead of everything else. He was a strong leader.  
  
You could taste determination in the air around him.  
People often mistook his aura for one of a more negative and dark intent. Because of this, many of the younger soldiers were surprised and curious about this change in procedure.  
  
Mike and Levi were assigned to room with the commander.  
The scene was quite humorous when the men first walked into the shack. Mike began sniffing the air, nose up, unable to quite place where or what a certain stench was coming from. Levi scoffed in disgust as dust drifting down from a loose board in the ceiling fell to the floor. Their boots crunched on the dirt with every shift in movement. They both had a stiffness to their posture and wore similar expressions of disgust as they evaluated the current situation.  
  
Without warning, Erwin appeared centered behind the two of them, hands resting on both of their backs.  
“Now soldiers, now is not the times to admire the surroundings. We have some work to get to.”  
  
If the men had not known Erwin as well as they did, they would have thought he was being serious. His voice was not one that portrayed humor well. Their long acquaintances with one another assured that they were quickly able to pick up on the sarcasm and didn’t require the need of a formal salute.  
  
Levi joined in and growled, “I didn’t know I was signing up for a fucking slumber party when I agreed to move bunks.”  
Mike only stared in silence, nose twitching, before turning to head back outside. Erwin cracked a soft smile as he too, turned and headed toward the door following Mike.  
Secretly Erwin was excited. It had been many years since he was placed in a situation such as this. He was reminded of his youth, when he first joined the scouts.  
  
Things were different then, death was more common. Nearly every expedition resulted in numerous casualties. Procedures in the past were less thought out and sloppy.  
  
From a young age Erwin would research various training and maneuvers. He would make lists of what worked, what could be changed, and what ideas he would sprout on his own. He could easily recall that youthful, younger version of himself. Excited to discuss these findings with his fellow cadets. Sometimes he would stay up well past allowed hours, studying notes by candlelight. A few times he was even disciplined for this. Even as he scrubbed the mess hall floors, or scooped piles of manure into wagons, he would be running through new aspirations in his head. Many of these ideas and dreams he would keep to himself. He learned quickly in this life of the problems that dreams of the outside world would cause.  
  
Death was often unavoidable in the scouts. Nobody was safe from what fate had in store. Knowing this full well, Erwin still couldn’t help but imagine a future with much better thought out ideas and tightly executed maneuvers that would help keep fate at bay.  
As he grew and experienced the unfairness of life and death, he became significantly more introverted. He kept to himself more and focused on his studies in between missions.  
  
One thing led to another, his dedication became more and more recognized. His research was put into play. Soon Erwin became a trusted captain and eventually the commander of the Scouting Regiment.  
  
Their current mission was an extension of humanities main goal, to understand and overcome the titans. The next few weeks were to be used to bring together all of the research gained within the last year on small exhibitions. The current mission was also a makeshift base of operations for various teams to trade off and explore the outer wall, identifying any changes in titan behavior. These active patrol missions masked the other intention of the scouts. In order to collect a significant amount of new data, the current retreat had a time stamp of at least 3 months.  
Missions like these were not often funded and needed to be completed in a stealthy manner. If word of these research trips made their way back to the higher ups, funding was most likely to be cut. In the eyes of the current scouting commander and captains, the potential for this new information far outweighed the risk of getting their hands slapped. As a fool-proof, these wall patrols were scheduled in as a cover and to distract any wandering eyes.  


About a month in, the area was hit with a series of heavy showers. Most of the sleeping quarters held up fine, but a few sprouted some leaks.  
  
On one particular night, the commander's cabin had a good sized leak from the crack in the ceiling. They had attempted to block it a few days before, but the makeshift repair no longer held. A puddle began to gather on the floor. The splashes woke Levi in a disgruntled state, although he hadn’t been sleeping much anyways. Angered by the lack of control of the weather, he tugged his floor mat over away from the water, towards Erwin’s silhouette at the far side of the room. The movement and his cursing under his breath made Erwin stir. As Levi threw his mat on the ground next to Erwin, he awoke. He turned over and propped himself up on one arm trying to gather what was happening.  
  
Levi stood there in the dark, looking down, studying what he could see of the man in front of him. It was a new experience for Levi to see him in this state. His sleepy eyes looked heavy as he held a slight confused expression. His hair was sticking up and messy at different places. His white night shirt was loose, and began to slip off of the shoulder that propped him up.  
  
By this point, Erwin was able to shake the grogginess from his brain.  
“Is the roof leaking again?” he asked Levi.  
“Yeah” he grunted in response as he dropped down to get situated in his new spot.  
A moment of silence pierced the air above the pounding of the rain outside. Erwin broke it,  
“Are you going to be okay if it begins to...”  
“Yeah I’m fine, I’m going to bed.” Levi muttered quickly as he flipped around, finally getting situation in his blanket, back facing towards Erwin.  
  
Erwin stared at the back of Levi’s head for a moment, noticing how his hair fell sideways towards the ground, exposing his undercut more than usual.  
  
As he studied the shaved hair, Erwin thought about when he first met Levi. This man was one of the strongest he’d ever known, both mentally and physically. He knew however, that just because one was strong did not mean that they always felt strong. Somehow, just over a year ago Erwin had learned of Levi’s fear of thunderstorms. In Levi’s childhood in the underground city, he never experienced thunder or rainstorms. Not the same way those on the surface did. He had heard storms before, but from a distance. It wasn’t until the first major thunderstorm hit after Levi had agreed to fully join the scouts that Erwin learned of this phobia.  
He hid it well. Unless you knew the signs, you wouldn’t even know it affected him. Hange and Mike were often the ones around Levi at the chance of a thunderstorm and they knew exactly how to act. However, this didn’t mean that Erwin didn’t think about him if he happened to hear distant thunder approaching from his commanders quarters.  
A small part of Erwin knew to ignore this fact for Levi’s sake. Another part of him wanted Levi to know that he cared and didn’t think of him any less because of it. Levi much preferred to ignore the feelings of fear that crawled through his body when thunder was near and he knew that.

  


No matter how hard he tried, Levi couldn’t get over it. Mentally he could usually get a hold of himself, which was how he managed to hide it from most other soldiers.  
The physical signs were a different story. 

Just as Erwin was beginning to fall back asleep in the damp shack, the rhythm of the rain was interrupted by a low rumble in the distance.  
  
Erwin glanced over at Levi to see if he reacted in any way. He couldn’t tell if he was even awake, if he were asleep, that would be the best case scenario. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, a flash and a crack of thunder made Levi twitch slightly. Erwin watched the outline of his back as Levi gripped his blanket tighter up around him.  
  
“Levi…” Erwin whispered.  
Although he now knew for certain that he was awake, Levi didn’t reply.  
  
The rain began to pick up even more outside. Another flash shone in through the single window.. Levi braced himself for the next blast of thunder.  
Erwin wasn’t sure what to do. He thought about waking Mike up since he was the one with experience in these situations, but Mike was leaving with the wall patrol group in the morning and was out like a rock. This was made obvious by the deep snores now coming from the opposite end of the room.  
  
He didn’t like this feeling. As much as he knew Levi wanted everyone to ignore it, he hated not knowing how to react. Even in the darkest situations out in the field he could come up with a solution and direction to go. This was different. His years of experience in designing formations and conducting drills had zero effect on the current situation.  
  
The storm was nearly on top of them now and he could tell it was a bad one, one that would not pass quickly. With each new blast of thunder, Levi’s breaths grew quicker and more shallow.  
  
“Fucking dammit” Levi cursed between his breaths as he shifted his positioning again.  
  
Erwin was wide awake now. Whenever he got started thinking, he couldn’t shut off his brain. Staring again at Levi’s back he grew more frustrated with himself. To Erwin, Levi’s back symbolized an impenetrable wall. One stronger than the ones lining their world outside. These walls were built by a rough life and dangerous upbringing. Erwin knew this, but he still was frustrated that no matter how hard he tried, he had not been able to break it down.  
He knew this wasn’t his job as Commander. He had other tasks. In this world of death and short lives, he knew it was dangerous to care for someone. His life had no room to build relationships. There was no security there.  
Knowing all of this, he was still determined to break those walls down.  
  
He only wanted Levi to know that he cared and that he could trust him. After all, their initial acquaintances with one another did get off to a rocky start.  
  
Before he could even process what he was doing, lost in his thoughts, Erwin extended his hand towards Levi’s back. He rested his strong palm in between Levi’s shoulder blades.  
  
The moment he made contact, Levi stopped breathing and froze. Erwin could feel the curves of his spine through the thin night shirt.  
He should pull away, Erwin thought. This was probably the last thing Levi wanted.  
Just as he was about to, Levi started breathing again. This time his breaths were deeper and more even. Erwin kept his hand still. He could feel the heat radiating from Levi’s back. As Erwin's thoughts began to form again, he grew slightly embarrassed. However, Levi had not pulled away or told him to back off.  
  
The thunder continued to rumble around them. Erwin’s eyes were adjusted to the dark. He could see and feel Levi’s breathing become more normal with each inhale.  
Erwin moved his hand just once, left to right, from one shoulder blade to another. Erwin often forgot just how small in stature Levi was. His hand resting on his back put their size differences into perspective for him.  
  
Here was the man that he admired for his strength, now in his most vulnerable state, resting underneath his hand.  
  
The storm began the die away. All that was left of the thunder were small rumbles, growing softer with each passing minute.  
  
Mike was still snoring.  
The silence was again deafening. Although this time it felt different, less anxious.  
  
“Levi,” Erwin’s voice was kind but determined, “do you trust me?”  
  
They both were silent. Erwin thought he was going to ignore him again. Maybe Levi was embarrassed after all. Maybe he had done the wrong thing by reaching out to him. His hand was still on his back, but it was relaxed, only maintaining the touch.  
  
Just as he nearly pulled away for the second time, Levi spoke in a whisper, “You shouldn’t be the one asking for trust...”  
Erwin couldn’t tell if the whisper was because the words were hard to get out, or if he was being courteous of Mike sleeping.  
  
After a moment of internal debate on how to reply, Erwin spoke again, “I trust you. Completely.”  
As Erwin said these words, he lifted his hand up again and ran it up to the base of Levi’s hairline.  
“Of course I trust you.” Erwin spoke again, he could feel the calming effect his touch had on Levi’s neck. Goosebumps rose on Levi’s skin.

It was late, the storm had passed.  
Erwin let his hand linger on Levi’s neck for a moment longer before finally pulling away.  
“Goodnight.” Erwin breathed out as he flipped onto his other side.  
It took Erwin a few minutes to slow his brain down enough to relax. He had finally done it. He finally made a dent in the wall that Levi had built around himself. It was a small dent, but a dent nonetheless.  
  
As he drifted to sleep, smiling, he thought about what he may attempt the next time he found himself in a similar situation.


	2. A Drink To Clear The Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin can't stop thinking about his encounter with Levi from the night before.   
> Hopefully a couple drinks might help him clear his mind so he can get to sleep. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little long (I'm sorry!! There's just so much I want to fit in!)  
> I tried to cut back on the explaining of things, so hopefully that helps the story go along nicely. 
> 
> There are some great things coming your way!!!!! (I mean, hopefully you'll think they're great!)
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3

Erwin woke up to the sound of shuffling footsteps. Turning over, he sat up to wipe the sleep from his eyes. 

Mike was moving around the room gathering a few supplies for the patrol run. Levi was nowhere to be seen, his sleeping mat rolled up neatly next to Mike’s at the wall.

As he began to recall the events from the previous night, Erwin looked to where the puddle had been.   
It had already been cleaned up.  
This didn’t surprise him much, it was Levi he was sharing this space with after all.

Mike noticed that Erwin was awake, and acknowledged him with a slight nod. 

“What time is it?” Erwin asked turning back towards the window. The sky was dark and overcast making it was difficult to guess. 

“About 10 after 6.” Mike spoke, “They made the final call for the patrols, see you in a week.”  
Mike was a man of few words. 

“Yeah, see you.” Erwin said as Mike headed out the door, overnight bag in hand. 

It was nice to not have to be so formal, Erwin thought. He appreciated the friendship he had with Mike. He was one of the only people who could read Erwin as well as he did. Mike knew that he didn’t like formal talk or actions in a private setting. 

The moment he put on his uniform and walked out the door, Erwin was the Commander again. Because of that, he would take advantage of any opportunity in closed quarters not to be so stiff. He needed that balance.

 

Now alone, Erwin stood and made his way to the wash basin to clean up. He pulled off his shirt in one swift movement. 

His body was strong. His muscles were defined and solid.   
Just under his left rib cage was a scar spanning the space of nearly three inches. He rubbed it twice, examining it, before leaning over to splash water on his face. 

As he washed himself he thought about Levi. He ran through the entire night over and over in his head. He was still surprised that Levi allowed him to touch him for so long.   
“It was just a simple touch.” Erwin thought to himself. 

And it was a simple touch, just one hand.   
In the mask of darkness, late at night, Erwin had felt bold. He wanted to break down the barrier between them. Now, however, in the morning he felt different. He was second guessing himself and even felt slightly embarrassed. 

It wasn’t that he felt wrong, it was the opposite. It was the fact that he found himself wanting to re-live it again. He thought about Levi’s breathing when he caressed the back of his neck and it made that longing stronger.

As he dressed himself, tightened his bolo tie, and slicked back his hair, he decided that he wouldn’t acknowledge any parts of last night unless Levi brought them up first. 

Erwin put on his game face and stepped out of the shack into the misty morning air.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

The beginning of the day went by smoothly. Erwin had papers to sign, training to oversee, and various other approvals to make. 

It wasn’t until he made his way to the designated meal area for lunch that Erwin first saw Levi. 

Erwin was easily able to pick him out from a distance. He was underneath one of the large raised canopies, sitting at a table. Levi sat back, legs crossed, gripping a teacup overhand.

The view made Erwin feel warm. This assured him that Levi was back to his normal self. He felt relieved.

Erwin grabbed a plate of food and moved to go sit near Levi. As he approached the table, the surrounding soldiers stood at gave a salute.

“At ease” Erwin spoke before sitting down across from Levi. 

It wasn’t uncommon for Levi to ignore opportunities for a salute. He had ignored them from day one. The only reason he didn’t get disciplined for this was because most soldiers knew, as well as Erwin, that it wasn’t done out of disrespect. He always played the part of proper soldier in important social situations, and for that they’d let it slide.

Erwin watched Levi sip his tea for a moment before speaking with the slight inflection of a laugh in his voice, “If all you do is drink tea all morning, you’re going to burn through our supply by next week.”

Levi glanced sideways at Erwin, expression unchanged, examining him. If Erwin weren’t the confident man he was, that glare would have made him squirm in his seat.

Finally Levi spoke, “The roof is fixed. I had a few of the brats help me to make sure we won’t be having issues again.”

Erwin waited to speak in case Levi had more to say. In case he was going to say something about last night. Instead, Levi only lifted his teacup back up to his lips.

“Excellent.” Erwin finally replied as he raised his fork and began to eat. 

This didn’t surprise Erwin. He didn’t expect Levi to mention much, especially not in a public setting.   
As he told himself earlier, he wouldn’t bring anything up unless Levi did. 

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Evening began to creep in. Light showers had sprinkled down off and on throughout the day. 

Erwin was back in the shack working at his desk, going through some paperwork from the previous patrol mission. A dim candle flickered light onto the pages.

The cloudy skies did not allow much sun through and it got dark fast. The chill that had lingered all day grew more intense than it had been throughout their visit so far.

Erwin was starting to get a headache from the strain on his eyes. He rubbed his temples and turned to look at the rest of the room.   
As he began rubbing his hands together to create warmth, he looked up and noticed the ceiling wasn’t having any issues with leaking. Levi had done a good job with the second repair. Although there was a part of him that felt slightly disappointed at this fact.

Erwin pulled out a pocket watch to check the time and decided to call it a day. 

The wood chair he sat in creaked as he stood up. He adjusted the paperwork, then turned to set out his bed. 

The side of the room Mike had been sleeping on now seemed empty and plain. Levi would probably take that side for the time being, Erwin thought absentmindedly to himself.

After getting everything situated for bed, he decided to make a visit to the makeshift shared restroom they had set up for the camp. He could have just used their bed pan, however he felt restless and wanted to stretch his legs. A part of him noticed he felt especially nervous when he began to think about how he and Levi would be alone in the shack tonight. He wondered why he felt this way and was even thinking about these things. It wasn’t as if they had never been alone together. And what happened last night should not have had this big of an impact on him anyway.

It had been a long day and he was tired. Erwin didn’t want to give much more thought to it, but his brain worked like a snowball. It would start with one small thought and gradually become bigger and bigger. He grabbed his thick wool coat and headed out the door in haste.

Erwin spent a good half hour walking, trying desperately to wear out his brain. This was a problem he often had. Only this time, these new thoughts of Levi were the ones that wouldn’t quiet down.

With no real change taking place other than feeling much colder, Erwin decided to head quickly to the kitchen area on his way back. What he needed was a quick drink. Not only would it warm him up, hopefully it would make him drowsy as well.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

As he approached the door of the shack after gulping down a few drinks, Erwin noticed how dark it appeared inside. Levi must have gone to bed. That meant he had to be careful about making noise. The last thing he wanted was to wake Levi up this early in the night. Nobody wanted to deal with that rage. 

In his now slightly drunk brain, Erwin quickly went over what he needed to do in the small shack in order to get in bed with as much minimal noise as possible.

He stood at the door, swaying slightly, before opening it to go inside. He shuffled in, and turned to shut the door. 

After shimmying out of his shoes and jacket, he turned back around.

“Dark.” Erwin mumbled to himself as he reached his hand out to feel his way towards his bed.

Eventually his toes touched the soft foam of the sleeping mat. He reached down with a grunt and lowered himself onto the makeshift bed. As he was groping for the blanket, his hand hit something more solid. 

“Erwin.” Levi’s deep voice broke the silence.

Erwin jumped. He began to put two and two together. He hadn’t stumbled into his bed, it was Levi’s.   
"Shit" Erwin thought to himself.

In any normal state, he would have been able to come up with a witty line or an apology. Due to the fog in his brain from the drinks however, all he could manage to do was announce his realization with a small “ah.”

Levi spoke again, “You have the wrong bed, dumbass.”

Erwin began to chuckle. He still couldn’t see Levi, but from the sound of his voice they were very close.

“I, I don’t think I have the right bed!” was all Erwin managed to get out of his mouth. 

He started to pull himself back up. Levi following his every movement.

“How many did you have?” Levi asked flatly, watching Erwin struggle to stand again. Levi’s eyes were much more adjusted to darkness. 

“Just a little bit.” Erwin grunted. “You know, I just couldn’t stop….” he spoke again as he fumbled awkwardly over Levi.

Levi placed his hand on Erwin's thigh, partially to steady him, but mostly to prevent him from being kneed in the face. Levi noticed a slight flexing of Erwin’s muscle under his touch.

“Could not stop at all.” Erwin said again.

Erwin found his mat and plopped down on it with a grunt. 

“What couldn’t you stop?” Levi asked, in a monotone voice. 

“Thinking!” Erwin stated loudly, tossing his hands into the air. “I had a couple drinks so I could try to get some damn sleep and be a little warm for once!”

An unseen smile cracked on Levi’s lips. He didn’t often see Erwin in this state, and that ”damn” sounded so awkward coming from his mouth. He found it slightly endearing.

Erwin laid down on his mat and silence filled the room.  
Levi began to situate himself back into his blanket. 

Suddenly, Erwin sat straight up.  
“Hey!” He said loudly, “Is the roof leaking?” 

“No, dumbass. It’s not even raining.” Levi responded in a slightly annoyed tone. 

Erwin’s eyes glanced across the room at the empty spot Mike previously slept in. He then looked back at Levi next to him. Due to the alcohol he drank, his thoughts were nearly transparent. 

Levi understood immediately that Erwin was trying to figure out why he was laying here next to him and not on the other end of the room where there was all of that free space. With a low sigh, Levi pulled his blanket up and adjusted the small pillow under his head. 

“Go to sleep... and stop thinking so much.” he said in a much gentler tone towards Erwin.

Erwin stayed sitting up in the darkness for a moment longer before finally laying back down.  
Just as planned, the alcohol helped him fall asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> I have most of this next chapter already written... so I'll just need to attempt to edit and post!!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave comments on what I could do better/suggestions. Thank you!!!!


	3. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wakey wakey sleepy Eruri! Feat. Hanji

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is fairly short... I forgot to post it a bit back so I did some editing of my own and wanted to post it so I can start on the next section. It's just how my brain works, ahah. 
> 
> Once again thank you to anyone who takes the time to read! <3
> 
> P.S. as far as I'm convinced EVERYONE IS FINE AND ALIVE AND ERWIN AND LEVI LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER IN A CASTLE WITH TEA AND FANCY DESKS AND I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

Erwin was relaxed and warm.

The comfort he now felt melted away the stress he had been overwhelmed with the night before.

He pulled the warmth closer towards him. The previous week had been continuously chilly from the rain, he almost forgot what heat felt like. 

His nose was filled with a pleasant scent.

Erwin started to come to and realized something was a little off. 

They were in a camp. The last thing they got in a camp, even he as Commander, was comfort and warmth. He didn’t have multiple blankets or pillows here, but he was definitely holding on to something physical.

A realization dawned on Erwin. 

He stopped breathing and slowly opened his eyes. 

A dark head of hair rested just below his chin. 

The comfort he had been feeling a moment before was immediately replaced with confusion and worry.  
Had he really drank that much?  
He remembered the awkward encounter when he accidentally ended up in Levi’s bed. Hadn’t he made it into his own after that? 

Yet here he was, sharing the same sleeping mat as Levi, spooning him.  
Erwin even had his arm around his small waist, having just pulled him in closer.

He again focused in on the warmth of Levi’s body against his own, almost painfully aware of every inch. 

He felt stiff and was scared to move.

 

Erwin peeked over and saw the empty bedding next to them. 

He was not in Levi’s bed, Levi was in _his_ bed. This realization brought up more questions but it also calmed him a bit. He hadn’t intruded on his space in his mildly drunken stupor.

Erwin’s breathing began to return to normal.

He had no memory of how he got in this situation. The last thing Erwin remembered was falling asleep... alone.

He was wide awake now.

Levi’s breathing was slow and rhythmic, still sound asleep. 

Just as Erwin’s brain began to cycle around back to panic again, Levi let out a long, deep sigh.

The effect this sigh had on Erwin was stronger than any drink and better than any medicine he had ever consumed. He mind was instantly cleared of any panicked, negative thoughts, and he was brought right back into the current moment. Never had he heard this man make a noise that sounded so relaxed and calm.

Levi’s hand slid up the arm Erwin had around him, stopping to rest near his elbow. The touch made Erwin shiver. A warm feeling grew in his stomach.

Erwin couldn’t deny to himself that he was enjoying the current situation, more than enjoying it, although he wasn’t sure why.

He was still nervous and felt stiff, but the warmth was amazing. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this much comfort waking up, if there even was a time.

Erwin rarely allowed his own wants and needs to come before other things, but it was so early in the morning and he felt slightly hungover. These things made it much easier for him to choose.

He wanted to stay right where he was, comfortably holding Levi.

Erwin nuzzled his chin into the top of Levi’s head before eventually drifting off again.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

 

Erwin heard a voice talking to him but he couldn’t quite place what it was saying. 

“Hmm?” was all Erwin was able to mumble, half asleep.

“I said, I have to take a piss.” 

Erwin recognized the voice as Levi’s. 

He jumped awake. 

His arm was still wrapped tightly around Levi’s waist. Levi was now laying on his back, Erwin’s hand rested on his hip. At this realization, Erwin yanked his hand back quickly as if he had been bitten.

Erwin could feel heat build in his face and turned away.

Levi stood and made his way over to the bedpan. 

The warmth was immediately missed. 

“Why, w-when…” Erwin found it difficult to speak with the fog in his head, but there was no avoiding the situation. He didn’t want to ignore it. Not when they had the opportunity to finally talk about it in a private setting.

Levi moved over to the wash basin to clean his hands. 

“Levi, I’m sorry. Did I..” Erwin began, but Levi interrupted him. 

“You wouldn’t stop whining about how cold it was. So I took it upon myself to do whatever it would take to shut you up.” Levi spoke as he dried his hands.

The embarrassment grew in Erwin’s mind again, maybe it really was his doing. If it was only to shut him up, he was sure he had been annoying Levi and keeping him awake. 

In his desperate attempt to stop the noise in his head, he may have had one drink too many last night. 

Levi walked back over to the mats but didn’t stop at his own. Instead, he lowered himself back down to Erwin. 

Erwin was sure his face looked dumbfounded. 

Levi didn’t even glance at him, he only situated himself back to where he had been before, his back facing Erwin’s bewildered face. 

Erwin sat there speechless and grateful for the return of Levi’s warmth.

 

The next few seconds were obscenely awkward.

 

After what felt like hours, Levi breathed out loudly with a sound of annoyance. He turned and grabbed Erwin's arm to pull it around him again.

Erwin made no effort to resist this movement, in fact he had been thinking about putting his arm back around him himself but wasn’t sure how to go about it.

 

Erwin felt as if he fit perfectly around Levi. He hadn’t been this close with anyone in years, not since becoming more involved in the scouts. Even still, he couldn’t remember ever having this feeling of peace.

 

“Levi…” Erwin spoke softly, “are you sure this is okay?” 

“If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be right here.” Levi replied in his usual, almost monotone voice.  
A couple seconds went by before Levi added on, “dumbass.”  
This he said in a tone that could almost be described as sweet.

Erwin took a moment to process what he had heard before speaking again. 

“Good... good.” He said, closing his eyes and hugged Levi closer. 

 

Everything felt perfect in this moment, Erwin thought.  
No stress, no loud thoughts, and it didn’t even feel abnormal or awkward anymore. He smiled into the top of Levi’s head.

He didn’t know why he had felt so nervous about sharing this space with Levi in the first place.

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

They stayed like this for a couple more hours, keeping warm for as long as they could.

Noises from outside let them know that the rest of the camp was preparing for the day. 

“Shit,” Levi spoke, “If I don’t get out there soon, Hanji wi...”  
A loud knocking on the door made they both jump.

Levi’s sharp instincts kicked in and he sprang to his feet towards the door. 

 

“Leviiiii!” a voice sang from outside as the door began to open.

Levi had reached the door and he pushed it back shut with a loud bang. 

From his bed, Erwin saw the slight gleam of glasses before the door shut. 

“Fuck off! Are you stupid?” Levi growled loudly through the door.

The distinct sound of Hanji’s laugh could be heard moving farther away.

Erwin couldn’t help but smile at the situation. Levi and Hanji bickered like a grumpy old married couple. Although he would never say it out loud, he found it highly amusing. 

Levi made a double take towards Erwin, who was now propped up on his side. 

“What are you smiling about? Do you know the hell I would go through, the endless torment and shit I would have to endure, if she had seen us?” Levi spat out, “I’d rather become titan shit.”

Erwin sat up and began stretching his arms while yawning, still smiling.

“Personally, I would prefer you take the first option” Erwin said. 

At these words, Levi glanced over at him.

“Jesus. Why is it so cold?” Levi finally spoke, turning and folding his arms. 

Erwin could've sworn he saw a slight blush on Levi’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please please feel free to give me any feedback! Thank!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :3  
> Feedback is most welcome!!!!!


End file.
